1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a pharmacological composition containing cell residue obtained by removing soluble cell substance from enzymegenated yeast, preferably cell residue obtained by conducting water cleansing after alkali treatment, and having as its active constituent a yeast cell wall fraction containing abundant protein and dietary fiber. Particularly, the present invention relates to an agent and/or a food product having as its active constituent the aforementioned yeast cell wall fraction and capable of preventing and/or treating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, constipation, allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, and so on.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as technology directed to a pharmacological composition having as its active constituent yeast or a yeast cell component substance, known are a manufacturing method of a polysaccharide ester sulfate compound and the alkali metal saline thereof having a anti-digestive ulcer agent effect and an anti-arterial sclerosis effect, obtained by sulfating a yeast cell wall in a basic organic solution with chlorosulphonic acid or sulfur trioxide, or sulfating a yeast cell wall by blending it with cooled and levigated strong sulfuric acid and thereafter making it an alkali salt (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 49-48894); a manufacturing method of a polysaccharide ester sulfate compound and the alkali metal saline thereof obtained by sulfating a yeast cell wall in a basic organic solution with chlorosulphonic acid or sulfur trioxide, or sulfating a yeast cell wall by blending it with cooled and levigated strong sulfuric acid and thereafter making it an alkali salt (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-31955); a manufacturing method of a new physiologically active substance peptide mannan A which extracts peptide mannan A from a yeast cell belonging to Saccharomyces and ingests peptide mannan A from such extract (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 49-69808); a manufacturing method of a compound protein SP-1 having an anti-ulcer effect and containing amino acids and mannose by making the pepsin act upon the yeast cell wall (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-39527); an anti-allergic agent having as its active constituent mannan deriving from yeast and the like (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.63-119427); an anti-ulcer agent having as its active constituent dried brewer's yeast with no concern of side effects as it is a natural product (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-313434); a nutrition supplement composition to be administered to mammals and containing a sufficient amount of β-glucan deriving from yeast for supplying a fiber source in foods, fecal-increasing agent, and short-chain fatty acid, and which improves the digestion in mammals, decreases the serum cholesterol level, and fortifies the decrease in weight (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-505997); food, beverage and medical product containing magnesium supplement material which connotes magnesium salt within a yeast cell wall prepared by eluting and separating intercellular cell constituents (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-107919); an inhibitor of antibody-producing cell containing yeast-related polymer, and a composition such as food or medical product for autoimmune disease containing this inhibitor of antibody-producing cell (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-188626); and a skin condition improving composition suitable for preventing and treating the likes of atopic dermatitis and containing protease hydrolysate of brewer's yeast and diuretic (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 9-227390).
Further, conventionally, as technology directed to making the autolytic residue of yeast tasteless and odorless, known are a method of improving the flavor of brewer's yeast by moisture distillation and organic solvation of brewer's yeast (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-22177), a method of decolorizing and deodorizing yeast extract residue, or yeast autolytic residue, wherein yeast extract residue is processed with alkali and acid, high concentration ozone treatment is conducted thereafter, and ethanol treatment is further implemented (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-248968); a method of reducing the foreign taste and odor characteristic to yeast by conducting acid treatment and heat treatment to yeast or a yeast-processed product (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-70751); and a method of making a yeast autolytic insoluble substance tasteless and odorless by suspending a yeast autolytic insoluble substance in ethanol, carrying the stirring treatment under alkaline conditions and eluting the causative agent of foreign taste and odor thereby, and eliminating the eluted material pursuant to centrifugation and eliminating the foreign taste and odor characteristic to a yeast autolytic insoluble substance thereby (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-103266). In addition, as technology directed to the treatment method of yeast cells and yeast cell walls, known is a manufacturing method of a seasoning wherein yeast cells are crushed with a high-pressure spray-impact homogenizer, hot water extraction is conducted thereto, and centrifugation is performed to the yeast cell walls which could not be made into particulates (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-117263).
Meanwhile, as technology directed to a preventive or treating agent for ulcerative colitis, which is a representative example of sudden inflammatory bowel disease, with its predominant symptoms being severe diarrhea, severe mucous and bloody diarrhea, and abdominal pain, and which causes erosion to the entire large intestine and damage to the mucous membrane such as ulcer, known are a composition containing a substance, separated from barley malts or rice germinated seeds and containing protein and insoluble dietary fibers and soluble dietary fibers, and which comprises the functions of an intestinal mucous membrane enhancer, defecation promoter and an agent for controlling the intestinal functions (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-278664); a preventive or treating agent having as its active constituent trehalose for symptoms of ulcerative colitis (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-17478); and a preventive and/or treating agent for inflammatory bowel diseases having as its active constituent catechin and nutrition composition containing the above(Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-116475).
In recent years, short-chain fatty acids produced by the fermentation of intestinal bacteria in the digestive organs are attracting attention. When dietary fibers are ingested, they are assimilated at the large intestine by intestinal bacteria, and transformed to short-chain fatty acids, which are fermentation products. The generated short-chain fatty acids are promptly absorbed by the intestinal tract, and is said to act as the energy source of the large intestine and contribute to the normalization and activation of the large intestinal function. Among the short-chain fatty acids, butyric acid is particularly an important substance for the epithelial cells of the large intestine, and plays an important role in the maintenance and fortification of the structure and function of large intestine epithelial cells. It is therefore considered that butyric acid is important for preventing or treating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as carcinoma of the colon and rectum, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease.
As the raw material for promoting the production of such short-chain fatty acids, known are intestinal bacteria such as bifidobacteria and acidophilus which is said to improve the intestinal environment, and oligosaccharide which is the growth promotion factor thereof, and these have been conventionally used as the raw material for contributing to the regulation of the intestinal function. Nevertheless, even if intestinal bacteria such as bifidobacteria or acidophilus is ingested, there is a problem in that most of such bacteria dies before reaching the large intestine as a result of the effect of gastric acid, and would not contribute to the high production of short-chain fatty acids. Moreover, upon ingesting oligosaccharide, although it would produce short-chain fatty acids by being assimilated with intestinal permanent bacteria, there is a problem in that large volumes of expensive oligosaccharide must be ingested for high product of short-chain fatty acids. In addition, it has been indicated that another element for the high production of short-chain fatty acids is the swelling of assimilated substances in the intestine such that the intestinal bacteria can operate more easily.
Today, in addition to the prevention and cure of the aforementioned inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, attracting attention is the prevention and cure of diseases characteristic to contemporary people; for example, allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, constipation, and so on. Particularly, the prevention and cure with ingestion of simple health foods with little side effects is attracting attention. Meanwhile, the autolytic residue obtained from the autolysis of yeast cells has a foreign taste and odor characteristic to autolytic residue, and although this has been used as foodstuff for fish farming and the like, it is necessary to eliminate such characteristic taste and odor for easier indigestion upon using the same as raw material for food products. Thus, an object of the present invention is to satisfy these needs, and to provide is a pharmacological composition as a raw material capable of preventing or treating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, constipation, allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, and so on, and which has little side effect and thereby being safe, high water dispersibility, and can be ingested easily.
During the research process on a yeast cell wall fraction which is the extract residue of yeast extracts, the present inventors have coincidentally discovered that a yeast cell wall fraction, regardless of it containing insoluble dietary fibers, is superior in water dispersibility and swelling properties, has high assimilation properties after being ingested in the large intestine due to the intestinal bacteria, and has effects of producing more short-chain fatty acids in comparison to other dietary fiber raw materials, and have further confirmed that even ingesting a yeast cell wall fraction as is has effects of inhibiting diarrhea. Thus, as a result of various researches conducted on the pharmacological effect of a yeast cell wall fraction, the present inventors have achieved this invention by discovering that a yeast cell wall fraction is capable of preventing or treating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, constipation, allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, and so on. Moreover, upon additional intense study of the yeast cell wall fraction, the present inventors have achieved this invention by discovering that the yeast cell wall fraction obtained with a simple operation of water cleansing after alkali processing yields superior effects for preventing or treating the symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, constipation, allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis, and so on, as well as such yeast cell wall fraction being tasteless and odorless which taste and odor are characteristic to autolysis and suitable for ingestion.